Psychology

Online and OnsitePsy.D. in Clinical Psychology

"The purpose of an education is to replace an empty mind with an open one."

Malcolm Forbes

Overview

The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology program offers four years of coursework in Psychology (three years for Advanced Standing students). The curriculum includes core, clinical, and research courses. The core curriculum, emphasized in the first two years, provides a foundation for the clinical and research courses, supporting the student’s evolving relationship to professional practice.

The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is designed to meet the educational requirements for the state of California Psychologist license. The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology also meets the educational requirements for the state of California MFT license (Board of Behavioral Sciences, Senate Bill 33, Section 4980.36, Business and Professions Code), and the state of California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), (Senate Bill 788, Section 4999.33, Business and Professions Code), provided that fieldwork is done in accordance with BBS requirements.

Educational Objectives

The PsyD curriculum builds cumulatively upon the Masters in Counseling Psychology curriculum and entails the following elements:

To develop leadership capacities which further professional engagement with the profession of psychology.

To develop creative inquiry practices and skills.

To articulate and apply key concepts and major principles of psychopathology to all levels of human systems.

To implement appropriate uses of psychological assessment resources with a specialized awareness of individual differences and cultural diversity.

To develop competencies for bringing principles and practices of transformative learning into clinical contexts.

Graduation Requirements

Students who enter with a Bachelor's degree must complete four years (166 credits, 1310 hours). Students who enter the program’s second year with a Master's degree (Advanced Standing) must complete three years (135 credits, 1000 hours). Supervised fieldwork (750 hours) and clinical case study credits are included in these credit totals.

Students entering with a Bachelor's degree are required to pass the Master's in Psychology written and oral comprehensive examinations after completing two years of coursework.

After completing doctoral coursework, students must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations. The completion of an original Clinical Case Study is required.

Sixty hours of personal therapy in an individual, couple, family, or group setting are required. In some cases, this experience may be obtained prior to enrollment in Meridian’s graduate program.

Students have a maximum of six years after ending coursework with their cohort to complete the Psy.D.

Curriculum

Please consult the Academic Catalog for the curriculum overview, course descriptions, and clinical licensure information relevant to the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Gainful Employment

For important information about the educational debt, earnings, and completion rates of students who attend this program please visit the Gainful Employment page.